In Wonderland Once Again
by g-robber2056
Summary: About five years after the end of Tim Burton's film, Alice finds herself drawn to Wonderland again. Was taken down and re-uploaded because the ending didn't flow properly and I wanted to fix it. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Alice looked down at her desk, piled high with maps and papers. There was a knock at the door and a young man poked his head into the room.

"Ms. Kingsly, he's back."

"Again?" Alice cried in despair. "Tell him to go away; I don't have time to deal with him."

"Right away," the man disappeared and Alice knew he was throwing the would-be suitor out. An annoying man had been attempting to woo Alice for months, attracted by her money and power as well as her looks. Her business had taken off recently, and the workload was completely overwhelming her.

She spent almost hour checking numbers and marking maps, and the pile on her desk was finally beginning to shrink slightly. There was another knock and the young man came in a second time, laden with more papers covered in numbers.

"These are the newest calculations…" his voice trailed off when he saw the defeat on Alice's face. Alice raised a hand to her forehead.

"I need to talk a walk. I'm going to go mad if I stay closed up in here any longer," she pushed past the protesting boy – for, really, he was no more than a boy – and walked through the house out into the garden.

She stopped for a moment, savoring the sweet warmth of the sun on her face. She walked slowly across the lawn and past the rose bushes, lost in thoughts of maps and trading.

After several moments, she realized that she was standing still. Looking around, she was surprised at where her feet had carried her. There, in the ground beneath the tree, was the rabbit hole. She walked slowly to the hole and knelt beside it.

"I really shouldn't," she whispered to the empty garden. Even as she said this, though, she sat and let her legs dangle over the edge.

"Alice!" her mother came around the corner and called her name sharply. "What on earth are you doing? Heaven knows what could be in that hole, and you'll ruin your clothes sitting on the ground like that."

Alice stood reluctantly. Her mother sighed when she saw her face.

"Honey, you really need to marry before you lose your pretty face. And you should dress better. Honestly, you can afford nicer dresses than that one," the woman continued to chatter critically as they walked back to the house. Alice looked up at the window of the little office. Her blood ran cold at the thought of her returning to her desk and staring at the numbers again.

"I-I can't do this," she stammered before turning and running back through the garden. She heard and ignored her mother's cries of protest. She skidded to a stop in front of the rabbit hole, took a deep breath, and jumped in.

She flew past tea pots, bookshelves, and cabinets before slamming into the floor of the room filled with doors.

Struggling to her feet, she grabbed the familiar key from the glass table and swallowed the potion she knew would be there. Sputtering from the horrible taste, she groaned slightly as her bones compressed and her skin tightened, her dress becoming a tent around her.

Moving even faster now, she scampered over the fabric of her dress, clutching the key tightly in one hand. By the foot in the table, she found the familiar cake, which she grabbed with her free hand.

She sprinted across the floor, unlocked the tiny door, and burst into Wonderland. She took a carefully measured bite of cake. Growing felt worse than shrinking, but she was glad when she was back at her proper height. Alice glanced down at herself, now clothed only in her ripped under-dress.

"Why can't my clothes grow and shrink properly with me?" she wondered out loud. Sighing to herself, she took off running across Wonderland. Her bare feet slapped against the soft dirt path. She had no idea where she was headed, but decided to run where her feet took her. Obviously, her unconscious had been waiting for this moment for some time.

She sprinted through Wonderland, through the forest and over open fields, all the while marveling at the feeling of the wind rushing by her, the sweet smells of the flowers, the bright colors that told her the world had thrived since she left. Abruptly, she skidded to a stop when she saw a little house, then bounded to the door and knocked. There was movement and the door opened.

"Alice," the Mad Hatter had time to breathe before she threw her arms around him in a hug.


	2. Chapter 2

After a long moment, the Hatter gently unwrapped Alice's arms and took a step back.

"Alice," his voice was still breathy with shock, "you've come back."

"I missed you even more than I realized," Alice smiled sadly. The Hatter stood quickly back from the door.

"Come in, come in," he urged. "I must hurry and make you some clothes. You're just in time for tea."

Alice stepped through the doorway and smiled to herself. Of course the Hatter wouldn't close himself in, he longed for space and freedom. What Alice had thought was a house was in fact nothing more than a wall and a roof to keep the sun from fading his fabrics.

_How does it stay up, I winder? I suppose it's simply Wonderland magic._

The Hatter grabbed a roll of fabric and a pair of scissors, his hands moving so fast they blurred. He hurried to his sewing machine and slid the fabric back and forth. Within seconds he had a dress to hand to Alice.

"Try this on for size," he offered, and then walked to the other side of the wall to give her privacy.

Alice quickly changed into the midnight blue dress, which fit perfectly. She walked around the wall to find the Hatter standing by a table that hadn't been there a moment before. He turned to face her.

"Ah, the blue brings out your eyes. I thought it might. What brings you back to Underland?"

"Sometimes I just can't stand the world. There's so much work and so much criticism. I just needed to get away from it all."

"And so you wanted to see a peaceful place?" the Hatter had a grave look of understanding on his face.

"Apparently I wanted to see you. I didn't know where I was going, but I ran right to you."

"That's just because I can fix your clothes," the Hatter muttered as an explanation, but Alice saw him blush gently.

Alice sat down at the table beside him, smoothing out her dress carefully.

"Tell me what's happened since I left."

The Hatter began laying out the settings for tea.

"Time and I made up, so it isn't always tea time anymore. It is nice to have time to make hats again."

Alice noticed the sparkle in his eyes and remembered how passionate he was about his craft.

"Do you hat the White Queen now?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, now that the Bluddy Behg Hid and her terrible knave have been banished to the outlands."

Just then, the March Hare and the Dormouse came barreling up the path towards them.

"Alice!" the Dormouse exclaimed, "you're back!"

The four spent an hour talking and laughing and drinking tea.

_Wonderland is such a happy place,_ Alice though longingly. _Maybe I can stay for a while this time._

"What are you thinking, Alice?" the Hatter questioned. Alice grinned.

"I'm investigating things beginning with the letter 'M.' Magic. Marvelous. Muchness."

The Hatter's eyes twinkled as he joined in.

"Memories, miracle, melod—" he was cut off when Bayard the bloodhound came running up to the group.

"Hatter," he panted, "it's Stayn. He's escaped exile and is calling for your head."

"Why?" Alice asked in horror.

"I stopped him from killing the big head," the Hatter answered gravely. "He's been trapped alone with her all this time because of me." He looked to the dog. Where is he now?"


	3. Chapter 3

_The revised, lengthened end for readers who said the ending was too abrupt. I hope this is better. I leave it up to those who review: is it done, or does it need an epilogue?_

Alice and the Hatter ran across Wonderland, the Hatter carrying a sword.

"Are you sure about this?" Alice asked.

"Of course not," the Hatter replied brightly. "We can't be sure about everything." He looked over at her, worry crossing his face. "You don't have to come with me, you know. It would be safer if you went back."

"I'm worried about you," she admitted. "I can't let you go alone."

The pair slowed suddenly and Alice looked around. They were on the field where she had fought the Jabberwocky. Fitting that this was the last place Stayn had been seen. In the distance she could see a dust cloud, kicked up by dozens of feet as a group approached them.

"It seems the White Queen has sent us soldiers," the Hatter mused. "How very thoughtful."

The pair stood quietly, looking around for Stayn as the soldiers reached the edge of the field. Alice's heart pounded wildly with fear and excitement. She watched the Hatter for a moment; his eyes were narrowed in concentration. His hands gripped the sword tightly, ready to attack. She thought about how much she had missed him, how happy she had been to see his wide smile for the first time in years.

_I won't be able to say goodbye to him again,_ she knew. _There's no way I can go back to my old life. I think, perhaps…I'll stay here…with him._ The moment she thought that, it felt as though a weight had been lifted, now that she was no longer considering going back to the desk in the tiny room with all of its numbers.

Suddenly, Alice saw a dark shadow dart out from behind a tree. At the same moment, something small went flying towards the Hatter. She couldn't let him be hurt, how could she live without him?

"Tarrant!" Alice cried, using the Hatter's real name for the first time. He looked towards her, confused, and she knew she had to act. With all her strength she rushed at the man and pushed him out of the way just in time.

A sharp pain stabbed through Alice and she reached down to her stomach. Stayn's throwing knife had found a target. As she pulled the blade from her body she heard Tarrant's sword clatter against stone and felt his arms wrap around her. He lowered her gently to the ground as the strength and feeling left her legs.

Alice had a vague impression of the White Queen's soldiers swarming Stayn and overpowering him, but her thoughts were focused on Tarrant. He was kneeling beside her, pressing his hands against her stomach as though he could close the wound, close the hole in the beautiful dress he had made for her. She looked up into his impossibly green eyes, filled now with horror and distress, and understood that their feelings for each other were the same. She had the urge to reach up and touch his face, to calm him, but her fingers were covered in hot, sticky blood. He was such a peaceful person, it was hard enough to see his hands covered in the liquid – it seemed so violent, so unlike him. She wouldn't be able to stomach seeing his pale face covered in it as well.

"Alice," Tarrant managed to choke out. His voice was frantic as he realized there was no way to save her, she didn't have enough time. "Why..?"

"What would Underland be without its hatter?" Alice smiled peacefully up at him. Her vision was beginning to blur and darken, but she wasn't afraid. She had always expected death would be terrifying, but she felt calm knowing that she would be with Tarrant until the end. Just like her father when she was a child, Tarrant would keep away the monsters of her nightmares.

"It should have been me," he whispered fiercely. Tears filled his eyes and they paled in grief. "Stayn was after me, not you."

"Don't cry," Alice murmured. "Your eyes are so beautiful when you're happy. I looked everywhere in England and China to find something as green us your eyes because I loved them so much. Please don't cry."

Tarrant shook his head hard, barely able to speak. His hands were shaking; she could feel it against her stomach. He raised one hand as though to brush her hair back but stopped before he touched her. He couldn't bear to bloody her face, either. Alice reached up and took his hand, holding it to her chest, pressing it to her fluttering heart. How many times had she dreamed of this, of looking into his eyes, of holding his hand? She had never expected to do either, let alone in this situation.

"It should have been me," he repeated, his voice breaking.

"You still have to discover why a raven is like a writing desk," Alice could taste blood rising in the back of her throat. It was becoming hard to focus on his face. She gripped his hand more tightly, not scared but not ready to say goodbye yet, either.

"I was so unhappy at home," Alice needed him to know. "I wish I had understood sooner that what I truly wanted was to be here with you. I was happier in the last hour than I've ever been in my life." Her voice began to strain; it was becoming hard to breathe. "You make the world so carefree, so perfect. Promise me you'll stay like that forever."

Tarrant closed his eyes, pained, but nodded. He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently.

"Fairfarren, Alice," he whispered as the tears poured down his face.

"Fairfarren, Tarrant," Alice replied. She took a last shuddering breath and was still.


End file.
